More Homes Hitting the Market - BUT Not All of Them Matter!

More homes started hitting the market as 2025 wrapped up.

Inventory grew. Listings climbed. Months of supply ticked up slightly. On paper, that sounded like relief. After years of hearing about low inventory and bidding wars, it felt like maybe buyers could finally exhale.

But something interesting happened in real life.

Some homes were gone almost as soon as they hit the market. Others sat. And sat. And sat.

The difference wasn’t luck.

The homes that were priced well and presented well still moved. They didn’t need gimmicks. They didn’t need endless open houses. They were aligned with the market, and the market responded.

The homes that missed the mark lingered longer than they would have just a year or two ago. Days on market stretched—not because buyers disappeared, but because buyers became more selective.

And the local numbers back that up.

According to the January 2026 Columbus REALTORS® MLS report, inventory increased 7.2% year over year, and months of supply ticked up to 1.7 months. At the same time, days on market rose 11.6% to an average of 48 days. Yet median sales price climbed 6.7% to $319,900, and homes still sold for over 95% of their original list price.

In other words, homes are selling — just not all of them.

That’s the part most people don’t immediately see.

Buyers didn’t leave. They matured.

They started paying closer attention to price per square foot. To condition. To location. To how a home compares to what sold three months ago instead of what sold two years ago. They started asking better questions. And better questions lead to better decisions.

Prepared buyers could spot it immediately. They could tell the difference between opportunity and optimism.

Onlookers saw rising inventory and assumed time was suddenly on their side. They thought, “Now I can wait. Now I can negotiate anything.”

But time isn’t the same as leverage.

When a home is priced correctly in today’s market, it still draws attention quickly. When it isn’t, the market responds quietly but clearly. Price reductions follow. Days accumulate. Momentum fades.

More homes on the market doesn’t mean every home is equal. It means the gap between well-positioned and poorly positioned properties becomes easier to see.

For sellers, this means strategy matters more than ever. Pricing isn’t about testing the market anymore. It’s about understanding it.

For buyers, this means discernment is an advantage. Not every listing deserves urgency — but the right one still requires readiness.

The market hasn’t become harsh. It has become precise.

And that precision rewards people who walk in with clarity.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling, this is where a real estate strategy appointment makes sense. Not to push you into action — but to help you understand where you actually stand. What’s moving. What isn’t. What buyers are responding to. What sellers are overlooking.

Because in a market where more homes are hitting the market — but not all of them matter — information becomes your edge.

And good decisions are rarely made by accident.